COVID-19 has affected so many individuals in so many different ways. It has caused individuals to make adjustments in their jobs, communities and day to day lives. Something we associate with day to day life is going grocery shopping. In order to make this part of our life possible many precautions have been taken by grocery store clerks in order to ensure the safety of the people.

In order to learn more about the life of a grocery store clerk during COVID-19 I decided to interview Sadie Schoonmaker. Sadie will be a senior in high school this fall at New Canaan High School and is a grocery store clerk at Walter Stewart’s, a local market in New Canaan, Connecticut. 

When asked how her job differs now from a few months ago Sadie responded by saying, “My job is a lot different now then just a few months ago because of COVID. We have to wear masks, gloves, and face shields to protect ourselves and others which was pretty hard to adjust to in the beginning.” Although this adjustment was hard, Sadie and her coworkers were able to take the precautions necessary in order to ensure a limited spread of the virus.

Before interacting with any customers the workers have to “…get our temperatures taken and get geared up..” according to Sadie Schoonmaker. This ensures that the workers are putting themselves and their customers in the safest position possible. 

Sadie also talked about some of the other protocols she has had to follow since the start of COVID, “We introduced a lot of new protocols like social distancing, shorter hours, less capacity in the store, and frequent cleaning of the register stations.”

Although the adjustment hasn’t been the easiest for some individuals, Sadie says, “I’m glad my workplace and other businesses in Connecticut were able to adapt so fast to keep our communities safe.”

In fact, according to the Johns Hopkins University and Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center Connecticut has had the lowest test positivity rate in the US at .8 percent.

Clearly, the work Sadie has been doing at New Canaan’s local Water Stewart’s Market and the work of individuals all over Connecticut has been paying off.